Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes are fluffy buttermilk pancakes with mashed banana in the batter, topped with homemade salted caramel and fresh banana slices. Every bite is rich, cozy, and downright irresistible, like dessert for breakfast ...in the best way.
Recipe: $4.78 | Per Serving: $0.34 | Yields: 14 pancakes
If you’ve ever craved the sweet, comforting flavors of banana and caramel, you're going to love this revamped take on a classic diner-style breakfast. Inspired by the flavors of Denny’s banana caramel pancakes, this version brings all the nostalgia without relying on shortcuts.
Instead of cookie crumbles or store-bought sauces, this homemade recipe focuses on real, rich flavor: fluffy banana pancakes made with mashed banana in the batter, drizzled with a luscious homemade salted caramel syrup. Top them off with some sliced bananas and they're a rich, homemade treat that's absolutely delicious.
Built on my (Copycat) Denny's Pancake Recipe base, this version takes it a step further by using simple, wholesome ingredients and ditching the pre-made toppings. The result is a breakfast that feels indulgent but is made with love from scratch—and yes, it’s absolutely delicious.
Whether you’re making weekend brunch a little more special or just looking for a cozy weekday treat, these Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes are guaranteed to hit the spot. But don't forget to explore my Sugar Free Pancakes and Birthday Cake Pancakes too!
Jump to:
🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- It’s truly decadent. The homemade salted caramel syrup and real banana in the batter add an unbeatable depth of flavor.
- It’s made from scratch but still simple. No store-bought caramel needed, just a few basic ingredients come together to create something amazing.
- Every bite is soft, warm, and comforting. The mashed banana makes the pancakes incredibly fluffy and moist, while the caramel drizzle brings that perfect sweet-salty finish.
🥘 Ingredients
Buttermilk- This will give us a wonderful taste! You can DIY your own buttermilk if needed. If you still have buttermilk left, try using it up in our Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes or Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones.
Homemade Salted Caramel Syrup – Made with brown sugar, milk, vanilla and butter, and salt, this recipe is perfect for fast mornings. Skip the store-bought version; making your own takes just minutes and tastes far better.
Ripe Banana- Use a ripe banana for added toppings on your pancakes. This will really give us a full experience.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🧾 Substitutions
Feel free to switch out the homemade caramel for store-bought if you so choose. If using the pourable ice cream caramel, you may wish to warm it up and add some cornstarch to thicken it better for your topping.
🔪 Instructions for Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes
Step 1: Melt your butter over medium-low heat in a saucepan.
Step 2: Add the brown sugar and milk. (Image 1). Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly until it begins to boil. (Image 2). Let boil for 2 minutes. STIR THE WHOLE TIME.
Step 3: Remove the pan from the heat and add in the vanilla and salt. (Image 3). Stir together to combine. (Image 4). Carefully taste and adjust the salt if desired.
Step 4: Let the caramel cool until needed.
Step 5: If desired, pour the caramel syrup into a clean jar for easy pouring later. (Image 5).
Step 6: To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. (Image 6).
Step 7: Stir together with a whisk to combine. (Image 7).
Step 8: In a large mixing bowl, mash your bananas really well until no big chunks remain. (Image 8).
Step 9: To the mashed banana, add the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. (Image 9). Mix together until smooth. (Image 10).
Step 10: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. (Image 11). Stir gently to combine, you don't want flour streaks, but a few lumps are okay! (Image 12).
Step 11: Preheat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease. Allowing your batter to rest for a few minutes while the pan preheats will give you much fluffier results.
Step 12: Scoop about ¼ cup of batter per pancake onto the hot griddle.
Step 13: Cook for 2–3 minutes, until bubbles form and the edges start to look set. Flip and cook 1–2 more minutes, until golden.
Step 14: Serve warm, drizzled generously with the salted caramel sauce. Enjoy!
🧾 Quick DIY Buttermilk
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, don't worry. You can easily make some yourself using ingredients you already have on hand.
Simply take 1 cup of milk (can be almond milk, soy milk, whole milk, or even half and half) and remove 1 tablespoon of liquid from the measurement.
Now add in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, depending on what you have. Stir together and let rest for about 5 minutes before using as needed.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Make the caramel first. Prepare the caramel syrup before making the pancakes so that it has time to cool down to a safe temperature. Boiling sugar is very hot and can cause serious burn injuries. Not only that, but the longer the caramel has to cool down, the thicker it becomes.
- If the caramel becomes too thick. Simply reheat it in the microwave or on the stove for a few moments to get it back to a drizzling consistency.
- Rest the batter. Allow the pancake batter to rest for 5 minutes to achieve a fluffier texture.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Leftover caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge but it will harden as it cools and chills.
🍳Reheating
Reheat the caramel in a bowl in the microwave to make it a drizzling consistency. About 15-45 seconds depending on how much you heat at once.
You can reheat pancakes in the microwave for about 30 seconds per pancake.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Keep your leftovers stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat again before eating. I recommend keeping the caramel and bananas separate until ready to serve again.
While butter tastes great on pancakes I truly enjoy spraying my pans with oil and then rubbing the fresh pancakes with butter before serving. This is because butter often burns and browns too quickly on the skillet which results in spotty-looking pancakes. Oil on the pan is more likely to give you a nice golden color.
Yes, you can make this batter the night before and keep it well covered and stored in the fridge until ready to use in the morning.
❤️ More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
If you tried these Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
Pancake Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour ($0.30)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar ($0.05)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder ($0.05)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ($0.08)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg *optional ($0.02)
- 1 ½ large ripe bananas, mashed (about ¾ cup) ($0.45)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten ($0.64)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk ($0.75)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter, or vegetable oil ($0.38)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.02)
Salted Caramel Sauce Ingredients:
- ½ cup salted butter ($0.99)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar ($0.95)
- ¼ cup milk ($0.05)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.02)
- ½ teaspoon salt *more to taste ($0.01)
Optional Toppings:
- Sliced bananas
- Crushed shortbread cookies or walnuts
- A dollop of whipped cream or Greek yogurt
- A light sprinkle of flaky sea salt for extra salted caramel flair
Instructions
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Melt your butter over medium-low heat in a saucepan.
- Add the brown sugar and milk. Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly until it begins to boil. Let boil for 2 minutes. STIR THE WHOLE TIME.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the vanilla and salt. Stir together to combine. Carefully taste and adjust the salt if desired.
- Let the caramel cool until needed.
- If desired, pour the caramel syrup into a clean jar for easy pouring later.
Fluffy Banana Pancakes
- To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Stir together with a whisk to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash your bananas really well until no big chunks remain.
- To the mashed banana, add the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir gently to combine, you don't want flour streaks, but a few lumps are okay!
- Preheat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease. Allowing your batter to rest for a few minutes while the pan preheats will give you much fluffier results.
- Scoop about ¼ cup of batter per pancake onto the hot griddle.
- Cook for 2–3 minutes, until bubbles form and the edges start to look set. Flip and cook 1–2 more minutes, until golden.
- Serve warm, drizzled generously with the salted caramel sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don't overmix batter; leave lumps for fluffy pancakes.
- Flip when edges set and bubbles form on top.
- Avoid squishing pancakes; let them rise naturally.
- Lower heat if outside cooks faster.
- Rest batter 5 minutes for fluffier results.
- Store in fridge; microwave for 15-45 seconds to drizzle.
Comments
No Comments